Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Nash can shake her head, but I suggest that she take a walk to the Table Office to grab hold of these three very heavy volumes of a report from the Audit Office about the Regional Partnerships program. There are 1,200 pages. It would do Senator Nash good to get a copy. If she cannot get one, I can lend her mine. In November last year, the Auditor-General released a damning three-volume report over the rorting of Regional Partnerships. Out of that report came 20 recommendations—that is, 20 recommendations from one rorted program alone. Like other senators on this side of the chamber, I look forward to the sequel on Sustainable Regions.

The Auditor-General found that grants were approved by ministers before full applications had even been submitted. Ministers overruled departmental advice and gave grants for no apparent reason other than that the money would be spent on marginal coalition seats. More than one-third of the program’s money was pumped into just 10 rural coalition seats—including the seat of Mr John Anderson, a former minister responsible for the Regional Partnerships program.

Of that, no less than $4.6 million was earmarked for not one, not three, not six, not a dozen, but no less than 22 projects for the electorate of the member for Lyne, another former minister responsible for this program. I see you shaking your head in acknowledgement, Senator Nash. I do take that acknowledgement, thank you.